I am at a point in my doubt and recovery process where I feel almost completely agnostic. I am an empiricist; evidence required, please! So most (all?) of what I was taught as a Witness has been discarded. So why is it that whenever I hear someone say, with that "special" glint in their eyes (you know the glint I'm talking about) that we're "deep, deep in the time of the end," I feel this uneasiness? Not necessarily an acceptance of the idea, but just a general sense of unease, a hitch in my thought process that nears but does not completely become the thought "what if they're right? What if we really are deep, deep in the time of the end, and I'm trying to leave Jehovah's Organization?"
In every case, I've been able to shake this thought off and think about all of the supposed "evidence" that the "time of the end" is upon us, realize it's a crock, and move on. But why do I have that momentary fear every time I hear it?
Has anybody else experienced this?
I _feel_ rational, so why am I still afraid?
by under_believer 20 Replies latest jw friends
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under_believer
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OpenFireGlass
I used to experience this until I read Ray Franz: "Crisis Of Consience"
Have you read that book yet?
,Mike
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MegaDude
You've been conditioned for a long time to fear the approach of Armageddon. While rationally you don't believe in the Big A anymore, you have truckloads of associated memories and feelings associated with it. Your subconscious is the warehouse of all your memories and feelings of times past. When these old beliefs are mentioned with conviction by a JW, these old feelings can be restimulated briefly. That's all it is.
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learntoswim
The thing is, we are living at the moment in a time of great upheaval, and things going on around us, do seem to fit in with what the WTS are saying. Its crazy whats going on around us, it seems just bizzare to me. And the WTS explanation that these things are happening because Satan is ruling the earth according to his diabolical plan, excuse the melodrama, does make some sense!
I know where you're coming from I have the same confict. tho I'm not as convinced as you are its not the truth! I'm 50/50, I really can't decide either way.
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under_believer
we are living at the moment in a time of great upheaval, and things going on around us, do seem to fit in with what the WTS are saying. Its crazy whats going on around us, it seems just bizzare to me.
learntoswim, do you really feel, though, that you can make a good case that the upheaval that is going on right now is any greater or crazier or bizzare than events that have happened in the past? Is it really exceptional, or is it just part of the human condition? I don't expect an answer, but thoughts like those remind me that it's not quite as cut-and-dried as the Society likes to make out.
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learntoswim
I thought you might say that! I havent lived in the past so i couldn't say. my point was, thats why I personally have reason to believe it maybe the truth, was wondering if it was the same with you. When you look behind the scenes at what is happening, it fits in with the WTS teachings. but as you say, was it any different? after all history books and statistics don't tell the whole story.
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IP_SEC
I dont know that I agree with the word upheaval. I will say that we live in a time that is different from any before it. Your great grandfathers time was pretty much the same as George Washington's time. GW's time was pretty much the same as it was 200 years before that.Now it seems like each generation, no less than that is different from the previous generation. 50 years ago it seemed an impossible task to map the hGenome, but here we are. See, with great change comes great uncertainty. The JWs play on that.
What helped me break the conditioning Megadude was talking about was to do things I knew were "wrong" vote, give blood, you know what I mean. PS: learntoswim-- Tool?
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learntoswim
ip_sec
Well what were they singing about?
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IP_SEC
right on man
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serendipity
I wonder if hypnosis would help.